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Reinventing fantasy cliches
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<blockquote data-quote="DrunkonDuty" data-source="post: 4152451" data-attributes="member: 54364"><p>One way to avoid cliches is to treat individuals as individuals rather than merely examples of a Platonic "Race."</p><p></p><p>- my current campaign the Dwarven PCs are going to be going to war with the Frost Giants soon. They've met many of the Frost Giants now and even like some of them. But the war will happen (DM fiat can be such a bitch <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> ) and this will make the war that much more sad. My Frost Giants are living the cliche: Loud, boastful, war-like, drunken brawlers who wear hats with horns on them. But I've given enough of them individual characteristics, made them people, that the Frost Giants as a whole take on more depth.</p><p></p><p>- I have a campaign background I work on now and then (may never see the light of play). The idea is for it to be a Humanoid campaign. Orcs, Gobbos, etc. To put a twist on the Humanoid cliches I've broken the races down by tribes and given the tribes certain individual characteristics. For instance 1 Orc tribe is the classic band of vicious marauders. Another Orc tribe is the epitomy of the Noble Savage. By juxtaposing them I hope make the cliches more interesting.</p><p></p><p>-Same campaign I've got a tribe of Goblins who are merchants of the entrepid Marco Polo variety. Their mule caravans brave all the corners of the Borderlands* trading goods back and forth. Some are honest merchants (within reason, I mean business is business), some are just con artists. Another tribe who are warg-riding Gobbos but who have much closer bonds with the wolves, including limited shape changing.</p><p></p><p>*Yes there is a keep. It has a castellan. Gobbos are not welcome there even if they claim to be honest merchants. Actually, this is another good example where I played with a well known DnD cliche. I mixed this old fave with a cliche from the history of colonisation: The castellan is keen to prove himself a successful administrator so as to further his career when he goes back to the capital. He is planning to set up a human colony in the Borderlands. "Pushing back the borders!" And stiff cheddar to the humanoids who already live there. He is not a a bad man but he doesn't think humanoids count as people. </p><p></p><p>cheers all,</p><p>Glen</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DrunkonDuty, post: 4152451, member: 54364"] One way to avoid cliches is to treat individuals as individuals rather than merely examples of a Platonic "Race." - my current campaign the Dwarven PCs are going to be going to war with the Frost Giants soon. They've met many of the Frost Giants now and even like some of them. But the war will happen (DM fiat can be such a bitch ;) ) and this will make the war that much more sad. My Frost Giants are living the cliche: Loud, boastful, war-like, drunken brawlers who wear hats with horns on them. But I've given enough of them individual characteristics, made them people, that the Frost Giants as a whole take on more depth. - I have a campaign background I work on now and then (may never see the light of play). The idea is for it to be a Humanoid campaign. Orcs, Gobbos, etc. To put a twist on the Humanoid cliches I've broken the races down by tribes and given the tribes certain individual characteristics. For instance 1 Orc tribe is the classic band of vicious marauders. Another Orc tribe is the epitomy of the Noble Savage. By juxtaposing them I hope make the cliches more interesting. -Same campaign I've got a tribe of Goblins who are merchants of the entrepid Marco Polo variety. Their mule caravans brave all the corners of the Borderlands* trading goods back and forth. Some are honest merchants (within reason, I mean business is business), some are just con artists. Another tribe who are warg-riding Gobbos but who have much closer bonds with the wolves, including limited shape changing. *Yes there is a keep. It has a castellan. Gobbos are not welcome there even if they claim to be honest merchants. Actually, this is another good example where I played with a well known DnD cliche. I mixed this old fave with a cliche from the history of colonisation: The castellan is keen to prove himself a successful administrator so as to further his career when he goes back to the capital. He is planning to set up a human colony in the Borderlands. "Pushing back the borders!" And stiff cheddar to the humanoids who already live there. He is not a a bad man but he doesn't think humanoids count as people. cheers all, Glen [/QUOTE]
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